


Hatchling

by MetroidReploid



Series: Hatchlingverse [1]
Category: Metroid Series
Genre: Angst with no happy ending, Canon Rewrite, Gen, NaNoWriMo 2015, Not Canon Compliant, Origin Story, There are a lot of OCs, Things Get Bad And They Continue To Do So, and an inconsistent tone where ANGST one moment and then it's just ridiculous, breaking out of the vault yoooooo, canon is a box of scraps in a cave and i'm tony stark, going absolutely FERAL as i wait for metroid prime 4 news, metric fuckton of intense headcanoning and assorted fanon nonsense, not tagging rodney aran/virginia aran because theirs is Not a happy one here, tagged gen because the pairings aren't a big focus they're background, there's a bit of fluff!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:27:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29039376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetroidReploid/pseuds/MetroidReploid
Summary: No, I don't want to be just another echo,Everywhere I go there's something that I really need,Everyone I know is someone that I want to be,Even though I don't really know me.-Before Samus became a bounty hunter and the Galactic Federation's shining beacon of hope, she was a child of the Chozo. And before she was a child of the Chozo, she lived with her parents on the developing colony of K-2L, a planet on the edge of Federation-controlled space.To be reborn, a phoenix must first burn.
Relationships: Adam Malkovich/Anthony Higgs, Gray Voice/Old Bird
Series: Hatchlingverse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2130384
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. A Child

**Author's Note:**

> Eventually I will post on this site more often besides once or twice a year I promise
> 
> ANYWAY
> 
> This is an old fic, written during NaNoWriMo 2015, which also happened to be my first NaNoWriMo. I then proceeded to sit on it for eons instead of editing/rewriting it. But uh, now I've finally started doing that, so yay me?
> 
> This fic is... well I took the basic structure of Samus' backstory that we know for sure (parents killed in Space Pirate raid and then she was raised by Chozo) AND I basically just knocked the manga and other obscure stuff over like a bunch of Legos that I then pieced together into what I wanted. Mostly, I just made shit up. There's no three act structure here, also. Just vibes (mostly suffering).
> 
> And as I edit this, it occurs to me that I probably do not actually Know how to write children. Oops. Gonna stick a "You Tried" star sticker to my face. Also please bear with me as the first few chapters are Set Up because I felt like making the K2-L's inevitable fate worse for me.
> 
> Content warnings for the first chapter: Bullying, and Rodney earning the (sarcastic) Father of the Year award.

“This universe is broken...”

* * *

  
“Alright kids,” a Japanese man by the name of Nakadai clapped his hands, beaming at his students. “School is over for the day. You can all go home!”

The red-haired white boy, too absorbed in his book to hear the other children rush out of the classroom, remained at his desk. His hazel eyes took in every word on the pages. A book of magic, knights, dragons, and other fantastical creatures. He always carried it with him.  
  
“Shawn,” Nakadai said, his voice gentle. “It’s time to go home.”  
  
Shawn looked up at Nakadai, hazel eyes meeting dark brown eyes. The classroom’s emptiness soon dawned on Shawn, and he slowly closed his book, grinning sheepishly.  
  
“Good night, Mr. Nakadai,” Shawn stuffed the book into his backpack and rushed out of the classroom. His white sneakers tapped against the yellow tiles, the large green doors just up ahead. Maybe if he was fast enough, he could make it home without another incident.  
  
Ever since his family had come to this small, developing colony on a planet that rested at the very edge of Galactic Federation-controlled space, hardly anything had been pleasant for him. Even so, he tried to find the little joys where he could, for however much that actually meant.  
  
Most of the children and adults had already cleared out. He quickened his pace. Perhaps _they_ had already left, and if they hadn’t, perhaps he would be fast enough this time...  
  
“Hey Shawn!”  
  
Shawn’s blood turned cold as ice upon hearing the other boy’s voice. He ran even faster, towards the doors that held his salvation. He envisioned flying through them and into the sky above, far, far away from the other kids.  
  
“Hey, wait up!” Another one of the bullies called out, her voice louder than the previous boy’s. Gripping the railing, Shawn jogged down the stairs and then resumed his frantic run across the grass yard.  
  
For a moment, Shawn realized that he could make it. The bullies’ shouting got quieter, as safety came within his reach. He risked looking behind him, an option that came with immediate consequences. He tripped over a rock and tumbled into the grass and dirt. He struggled under the weight of his backpack to get back to his feet, but the bullies had caught up to him.  
  
“Oh come on, Shawn, why don’t you want to play?” The oldest and meanest of the bullies, Dexter, looked down at Shawn with a horrible grin on his face and an equally awful glint in his blue eyes. Shawn had seen that face one too many times, and they were at eye level as Dexter pulled him up to his feet. “It’s not the same without you!”  
  
“Leave me alone Dexter!” Shawn cried, squirming in the older boy’s grasp. A desperate sob of terror left his throat. “I just wanna go home!”  
Dexter rolled his eyes. “Oh come on Shawn, you act like we’re stopping you or something.”  
  
An uncharacteristic wave of bravery, or perhaps just a surge of no longer caring, coursed through Shawn’s veins. “Um... You kinda are?”  
Regret immediately set in as Dexter gave him a death glare that could have burned a whole tree to cinders. Dexter shoved him aside, grabbing his backpack and carelessly reaching in and throwing things out.  
  
“S-stop it!” Shawn wailed, trying to pull the backpack out of Dexter’s grasp. Dexter tightened his grip, wrenching it from Shawn’s hold and turning it upside down. Books, homework, pencils, and a tablet all fell onto the grass with a loud thud.  
  
“Geez, you still read this thing?” One of the other bullies picked up the fairytales book. “That’s for babies!”  
  
Shawn reached for the book, but the girl threw it to the ground and stomped on it, the other kids joining in and tearing it to pieces. He snatched the tablet and homework from the pile before they could be destroyed, but his teary eyes rested upon the ruined book.  
  
Before he got the chance to start running again, Dexter swiped the tablet and homework from his hands, scattering the latter across the ground. Shawn dove to retrieve his tablet again, saving it from being crushed a second time. “Please, stop it!”  
  
“Oh, did you need that?” Dexter grinned, pressing the papers deeper into the mud. “Too bad! Aww, are you gonna cry? Are you gonna-“  
Dexter yelped, an eraser bouncing off his shoulder.  
  
“Okay, who threw that?!” Dexter growled, clenching his fists and turning around. His green eyes lit up in fury when he saw the white girl with golden hair and crystal blue eyes staring back at him, holding her green backpack in front like a mighty shield.  
  
“Oh look!” Another child started to laugh. “It’s just Sammy! Here to save the day!”  
  
“It’s Samus!” She shot back with as much force as her six year old self could muster. Her backpack did nothing to hide her shivering, but she glared at them all anyway.  
  
The bullies all burst into laughter.  
  
“You’re so funny, Sammy!” The same girl held herself from laughing too much. “You should see the look on your face!”  
  
“I don’t care who you are,” Dexter marched towards her and raised a fist. “If you mess with me, you’re gonna regret it!”  
  
Samus screamed, dropping her backpack and sprinting away from Dexter. She frantically looked around the schoolyard for any adults, but none could be found. Which meant she’d have to get herself and that other child out of this mess on her own.  
  
It began to dawn on her, as mud splashed against her green shirt and yellow pants, that she hadn’t thought this through at all.  
  
“Get back here!” Dexter charged after her, quickly eliminating the distance between them. He reached a hand out to grab her by her shirt, but she whirled around and leapt up, punching him right on the nose. Shrieking, he stumbled and fell backwards onto the grass, clutching his nose.  
  
Silence fell upon Dexter’s minions, like Samus had felled a giant.  
  
Taking in hurried breaths, Samus cast one last glance at Dexter and rushed over to Shawn. She winced at the ruined papers, pencils, the book... “Are you okay?”  
  
She knew he wasn’t. She felt like she should ask anyway.  
  
“I’m... I’ll be okay...” Shawn said through a sob, putting what he could back into his backpack. “T-thank you...”  
  
Samus smiled a bit, going to retrieve her own backpack and then walking back to him, keeping an eye on the bullies all the while. Shawn stayed close, looking at her like she was a knight in shining armour worthy of his now lost book. Samus looked back at him, confused. She’d never seen someone look at her in gratitude before. _What do I do?_  
  
For Shawn, he hadn’t felt this excited to be around another kid since his family moved to K-2L. He and Samus were in different classes, though he had heard stories about her from the other students and teachers. It didn’t get past him that the adults mostly complained, but he couldn’t see why they would. He had only known Samus for a few minutes, but already she’d become his favorite person.  
  
“There she is, Miss Bennett!” They suddenly heard one of the bullies yell, and they turned to see him pointing towards Samus accusingly. One of the teachers, a white woman with a scowl seemingly permanently etched upon her face, stood beside him. Making sure she was looking at them, he continued, “She punched Dexter in the face!”  
  
Bennett, unlike Nakadai, didn’t keep herself from playing favorites. And both Samus and Shawn were not on her list of favorites.  
  
“Is this true, Samus?” Bennett asked, straightening her purple jacket and looking like she’d rather be anywhere else.  
  
Samus held her tongue for a moment. How am I going to explain this? I was just helping Shawn.  
  
“Yes, I did, but I...” She trembled, the rest of her words dying in her throat when she saw Bennett frowning.  
  
“And why did you do that?” Bennett crossed her arms.  
  
Samus froze, her brain shutting down and unable to save her. “Because... He... I...”  
  
“Because he’s been bullying me for weeks and you don’t help!” Shawn screamed, his voice strangled from the tears that lingered. “You don’t do anything!”  
  
Bennett didn’t appear moved in the slightest. She looked over at Dexter, who was still clutching his nose. “Dexter, is that true?”  
  
Dexter had been rehearsing for such a moment. He put out the fakest sobs imaginable. “M-Miss Bennett... Shawn tripped, and I was just trying to help him up, when Samus ran up to me and punched me!”  
  
“He’s lying!” Samus and Shawn both yelled.  
  
Dexter’s story was music to Bennett’s ears, and she ignored Samus and Shawn’s denial.  
  
“Samus, I’m afraid I’m going to have to call your parents and tell them what happened,” Bennett didn’t sound sorry at all. “I’m so disappointed in you, and I know they will be, too. Especially your father. You should know better.”  
  
Feeling overly pleased with herself, Bennett walked off. Dexter gave Samus and Shawn a smug smile before following Bennett.  
  
Looking at each other for a moment, Samus and Shawn screamed in unison.

* * *

  
Samus wished the planet itself would swallow her up. Anything to get away from her current situation.  
  
She avoided eye contact with her parents and with her younger brother, instead staring at her glass of water. She felt Rodney glaring at her, and she knew that Virginia felt only concern. Solomon? Too busy eating to even cast her a quick glance.  
  
Her young mind screamed at her to speak, to do anything, but she remained frozen in place. Virginia would likely believe her if she explained what really happened, however she knew nothing mattered to Rodney. She didn’t know when or why it had started, but Rodney had resolved to himself to never imply he even liked her.  
  
“So, any reason you attacked another student?” Rodney spoke in the only tone he ever used towards Samus; barely hidden contempt. “You know we’ve talked about this.”  
  
They’d talked about it many times. Mostly Rodney just talked and didn’t let Samus say anything.  
  
“Dexter is mean,” Samus said the first thing that came to her mind. “He and his friends were bullying Shawn, and I just wanted to help... But then Dexter came after me, and... I...”  
  
Samus looked at Solomon, and he stared back. She wouldn’t get any help from him, but she didn’t expect him to help, either. But Rodney looked angry as he always did. His light brown eyes spoke everything he never actually said even when he wanted to.  
  
“And you thought that made it okay to just punch him?” Rodney questioned, not unlike an interrogator on some detective show she’d seen Virginia watch now and then.  
  
“No...” she replied in a smaller voice, sinking into her chair. “But I just wanted to...”  
  
“What do you think she should have done, Rodney?” Virginia spoke up, having sat there feeling her own rage build up, not directed at Samus but at Rodney instead. Her own ocean blue eyes burned into Rodney’s side, as he didn’t meet her gaze.  
  
Virginia and Rodney weren’t alike in any meaningful way. Samus assumed they must have gotten along well at some point, but she didn’t think she’d ever seen that herself.  
  
“Why should that matter?” Rodney held on to his anger, but still didn’t dare look at Virginia. “She shouldn’t have hit him. That’s it. End of story.”  
Rodney ran the Afloraltite mine that the colony at K2-L was established for. Virginia ran the security force that safeguarded the mine and the people. They rarely saw each other, except at nights like this. Always arguing. Usually over her.  
  
“What would the alternative be?” Virginia gritted her teeth, looking at Rodney differently. Angrier. “That Dexter hits her instead? Have you ever seen that child and his friends?”  
  
“Why are you encouraging her?” Rodney finally looked at her, glaring.  
  
“Because someone has to actually get to the root of the problem,” Virginia said plainly, “since you don’t actually care enough to bother.”  
  
Rodney grumbled, directing his gaze back to Samus. All that mattered to him was that Samus wouldn’t repeat any of this again. He didn’t care how it stopped, only that it did. He prided himself on running a smooth operation with the mine, but what worked there just didn’t work outside of it, and he couldn’t understand why. Why did Samus and Solomon, but especially Samus, have to make the mundane things so much more complicated?  
  
Samus chose to tune the world out, nibbling on some bread. She heard Virginia and Rodney still talking, but their voices had become incomprehensible mumbles as she retreated further into herself. She noticed Solomon beginning to cry in the corner of her eye, but she couldn’t bring herself to face him. Numbness overtook her emotional state.  
  
All she had wanted to do was help Shawn. How did it go so wrong?  
  
A few minutes had past, feeling like an eternity. The voices around her were still muffled, the plate and glass were empty, and she wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and cry. When she was sure no one would notice, she slipped away and ran to her bedroom.  
  
She pushed the door to her bedroom open, looking out the window beside her bed. She saw the starry night sky, wishing for a moment that she be among those stars. She had seen pictures of spaceships and watched spaceships land further out of town, but she’d never been on one. She wished she could see the stars in one every night, wondering what lie within them all.  
  
A yawn escaped her, and she climbed into her bed. She allowed herself to forget about Virginia, Rodney, and Solomon. The sun had gone to sleep and so would she.  
  
Crawling under the covers, she grabbed a nearby plush and held it close. It was a golden eagle plush, which numerous accidents and hasty repairs had added patches of red, blue, and green to. Its orange beak had become hollow from being flattened one too many times, which only added to the disaster-ridden appearance. It also possessed a clear button where one of its eyes used to be.  
  
Samus named it Carter and it was her greatest friend in the whole universe.  
  
Whenever Samus got upset, Carter waited for her and the comfort it gave always proved sweeter than candy. She never had a bad dream with it by her side, and so she kept it close every night. If it ever disappeared, she knew she’d be lost, doomed to dream of monsters that spoke in the voices of people she knew, like her father.  
  
But with her world currently thanks to Carter’s presence, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

  
Samus found herself in a blissful world of bright colours and infinite mysteries.  
  
Stars and nebulae of all colours painted the black sky, shining brightly. Space itself seemed like water instead of emptiness, and she swam with the grace of a dolphin in the sea. She had never seen a sea or ocean before and often wondered what they were like, but surely they couldn’t compare to this.  
  
As she swam across space, she saw planets of all shapes and sizes, some of them shining like blue jewels and others were dusty red rocks. Some planets had shimmering rings of sparkling stones, and still others had vast collections of moons made up of rock, metal, and ice.  
  
The nebulae moved like waves beckoned by the wind, showering the stars and planets with mists of red, gold, and purple. She found herself staring in awe as they weaved through space like leaves blown by the autumn wind, without a care in the entire universe.  
  
She swam into one of the nebulae, its warmth enveloping her like a blanket while her blue eyes took in the beauty all around her. _It’s like swimming in the clouds..._  
  
The red mist danced around her and she held her hand out, watching it slide in between her fingers. It felt warm to the touch.  
  
She then discovered she had entered a dome made of the soothing red mist, seeing the starry sky peering inside from above. She swam forward, watching mist swirl into the shape of a large egg. Curiosity seized her and she moved in closer, staring at it in amazement.  
  
She heard the sound of cracking eggshell, but the egg didn’t show a single fracture. Instead, the egg unwound like thread, revealing a creature hiding its face with wings made of fire. She cautiously pushed herself back, as the creature unfolded its wings and raised its head, revealing a brilliant phoenix.  
  
The phoenix opened its eyes, a glowing white that took in every detail of the world it had emerged within. With a mighty flap of its wings, it moved away from the center of the dome, leaving her breathless at the sight. Terror gripped her alongside the fascination, and she hid behind a rising cloud of mist as the phoenix flew ever closer towards her.  
  
_Do phoenixes eat kids?_ She thought to herself. _I’ve never met one before!_  
  
The phoenix flapped its wings again but stayed in place, blowing away the mist Samus had taken refuge in. Seeing her, it let out a delighted cry and flew over to her, folding its wings at its side and crooning.  
  
“Who are you?” Samu asked, her voice echoing against the dome’s walls. The phoenix leaned its head to the side and looked at her curiously, blinking as it pondered the question. It then straightened itself, lowering its head to her eye level. She held perfectly still, feeling the heat of the flames against her skin. Yet, she didn’t burn.  
  
“I’m me,” the phoenix answered, but the phoenix’s beak didn’t move. Instead, she heard the voice echo within her own head. “Me and you. You and me.”  
  
She found that a confusing answer.

* * *

  
Virginia opened the door slowly, wincing at the loud creaking noise it made. It didn’t Samus, who was in too deep a sleep to hear anything outside of her own dreamworld. Closing the door behind her, Virginia’s gaze fell on the sleeping child and her tattered eagle plush.  
  
_I wonder what she’s dreaming about..._ Virginia thought, sitting down beside the bed and smiling. She picked up a picture by the lamp, looking it over like a precious artifact.  
  
She saw herself, Rodney, Samus, and Solomon all standing together for a group picture. Samus looked like she had seen a spider and had been caught mid-scream, Solomon looked ready to fall asleep, Rodney appeared to be cringing, and Virginia herself was the only one giving a smile to the camera.  
  
She set the picture back down on the table, sighing. She’d always been an optimist, she supposed. And always wanted to fight the battles other people couldn’t. Samus seemed to be the same way.  
  
For what good it did.


	2. Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samus wanders around the small, developing town. Virginia has concerns that are unrelated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i swear i'm updating my spyro fics and star wars fic again soon i just need this out of my system
> 
> and if you see k-2l's name spelled wrong no you don't

Today would be a good day, Samus knew it. It wasn’t a school day, which meant that she wouldn’t run into Dexter or his friends. With any luck, she wouldn’t see Bennett, either. It wasn’t a large town, but to Samus, it may as well have been a grand city with secrets yet to be found.  
  
“It’s rainy out today,” Virginia said, her voice full of warmth. She smiled at Samus, that same warmth filling her heart. “Don’t forget your coat-“  
  
Samus grabbed it and bolted out the door, leaving Virginia to shake her head.  
  
“Well then, that’s fine,” Virginia said to herself in mock-hurt. “Go on. Abandon me.”  
  
She turned her full attention back to the tablet in her hands. A visit from the Federation military in a few days, assorted chatter over trade disputes, whispers of Space Pirate and Kriken Empire activity in other sectors on the outer rim of Federation-controlled space.  
Virginia rubbed her eyes. It would be another long day.  
  
Outside, the gray clouds above promised rain. A biting chill hung in the air, but Samus didn’t notice it. Samus found herself looking up at the sky. She thought it was beautiful, even if it hid the sun.  
  
Her distraction cost her, as she ended up running and crashing right into a strategically placed stack of cardboard boxes.  
  
“Ow...” she rubbed her head, sitting on the sidewalk. The wind picked up, blowing the cardboard boxes across the street. The gust lifted one box up, sending it flying into an open window, prompting a scream of surprise from the person inside.  
  
“Oops...” Samus winced, standing up and catching one of the boxes before the wind could lift it. Maybe if she retrieved enough of them and stacked them, whoever the owner was wouldn’t notice a thing. And besides, she made the mess to begin with. Only fair she cleaned it up, she thought.  
  
One by one, she carefully built a mighty fortress of cardboard boxes, unable to stack them into a tower like they had been before. The wind pushed against them, but couldn’t carry off any into the horizon, so Samus considered the mission a success.  
  
“Nobody will notice what happened for sure!” Samus clapped her hands together and ran off. The box fort fell apart the second she left, just in time for the owner to step outside and see them being blown away by the wind.  
  
“My boxes!” He cried out in anguish, falling to his knees and burying his face in his hands. Nobody noticed.  
  
For Samus, however, the day’s adventure had only just begun. There were so many other people who might need help. She could finally, finally prove she could be a productive member of K-2L society! Or something.  
  
“Hello!” Samus said cheerily, startling a woman carrying several cans of fruit into nearly dropping them. “Can I help you?”  
  
“Please don’t scare me like that!” she said, steadying herself and turning to look at Samus. “But if you’re sure, I suppose I could use some extra help...”  
  
She realized in that moment who she was talking to. “Actually, never mind.”  
  
“Are you sure?” Samus asked. A large stack of cans stood near them. It would take a long time for one person to carry them all.  
  
“I’m positive!” The shopkeeper assured her, holding her cans to her chest. “You should... go play or something. Really. I'm fine here.”  
Samus blinked, slumping her shoulders in defeat. “Okay...”  
  
Confident that disaster had been averted, the shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief. She moved towards the door, only to trip over the cans on the ground and knock the stack over.  
  
Samus tried to think of where she could actually go where she’d feel mostly welcome. She knew the way to the Afloraltite mines, but she also knew from experience that no one could go there except the people actually working on the mining project. Or her mother's security force.  
She didn’t really want to see Rodney anyway. And he definitely wouldn't want to see her.  
  
Raindrops began to fall, and Samus finally felt the chill. The town’s library stood just ahead, and she ran towards the doors. She didn’t have time to run anywhere else, and at the very least, this was the one place where she could just be.  
  
Unfortunately, the door handles were just out of her reach. She jumped up, succeeding only in hanging from one the handles, unable to pull the door open.  
  
“Here, let me help you with that,” a man said from behind her, picking her up and setting her down.  
  
She looked up at the man with all the indignation a child could muster. He reminded her of Shawn, she realized after a moment. They even had the same eyes.  
  
“I could have opened it!” Samus insisted, crossing her arms and continuing to glare at him.  
  
“You looked like you needed some help,” the man shrugged. He opened the door, waiting for her to step inside. “And besides, I wanted to thank you for helping my son yesterday. He seemed so happy... even if Bennett wasn’t any help whatsoever. Oh, I’m Neil, by the way.”  
  
Confusion filled Samus. She wasn’t used to being thanked for anything. Getting yelled at? Now that she was used to. The only adult who _didn’t_ yell at her was Virginia.  
  
“Go on ahead,” Neil said, his voice still calm. “No need to stand out in the rain.”  
  
Samus stepped inside, quickly disappearing into the rows of books before Neil could say anything. At least they were both out of the rain, which had only gotten more intense. Outside, people rushed across the street and into other buildings, the roar of the rain drowning out all other sound.  
  
The cherry red bookshelves, tall as they were, seemed much more daunting to Samus than the doors could ever hope to be. Fortunately, everything she wanted to look at was within her reach. If it involved birds or any type of technology, she wanted to know everything.  
  
Though she did have to admit that books with photos of cute kittens were good too. K-2L didn’t have cats.  
  
She wandered through the library, stopping when she noticed Shawn in the corner of her eye. He had his full attention on a book, and so he didn’t see her approach the table.  
  
“Hi,” she said shyly, regretting it the instant Shawn looked up from the book and at her. They stared at each other for a moment until a smile crept upon his face. She smiled back, not knowing how else to react. She wasn’t used to being liked by other children either. Aside from Solomon, anyway.  
  
“Hey,” Shawn replied, finally breaking the awkward silence. He still looked at her like some kind of superhero. “Do you wanna see this book? It’s really cool!”  
  
It felt strange to her that he even offered, but she couldn’t find it in herself to refuse, either. “Yes!”  
  
Samus hadn’t really tried to read books like it before, but she found herself drawn to the stories of knights, dragons, and wizards. Her imagination blossomed with each word and picture.  
  
“Mom let me borrow this,” Shawn explained. “When I showed her what Dexter and his friends did to mine.”  
  
“You really like this book, huh?” She asked.  
  
Shawn eagerly nodded, lost within the book once again.  
  
Is this what having a friend felt like? Samus didn’t really know, but whatever it was, she thought she could get used to it. She’d be his friend, if he wanted. She hoped he would.  
  
“Hey Shawn, have you made a new friend?” Neil asked, walking over to them. He sat down at the table across from Shawn, a smile on his face and warmth sparkling in his green eyes.  
  
“I did!” Nothing could wipe the smile off of Shawn’s face, and his happiness was infectious.  
  
“That’s wonderful,” Neil said, “I’m happy for you.”  
  
Samus noted that Neil was a lot nicer than Rodney. It must have been nice to have a father like him. If Rodney were here, he’d insist she’d go home before she could find some way to embarrass him. She learned, as soon as she could grasp such a concept, that his reputation meant everything to him. And somehow, for reasons she couldn’t understand, she threatened to undermine it.  
  
She’d go home if he demanded it, if only to stay on his good side.  
  
“...Hi...” she managed to say, unsure how Neil would respond to... anything. The nervousness around adults who weren’t Virginia rapidly overtook her. Normally she ignored it, but now that Neil seemed actually interested, she didn’t know what to do.  
  
“You’re a good kid,” Neil stood up. “You and Shawn have fun, alright? I have to get back to work before your father notices I’m gone.”  
  
“My mom’s the librarian here,” Shawn said as Neil walked away. “Dad comes to visit her every day. He works at the Afloor... Afloraaaaa..... Um. The mines.”  
  
“...My dad’s in charge of that,” Samus winced. The thought of Neil being anywhere near the snap-monster that was Rodney made her deeply uncomfortable. “I’m sorry about your dad. He’s nice.”  
  
“He says he doesn’t mind,” Shawn said, “and I’m glad I got to meet you!”  
  
Samus could agree with that. “I’m happy I got to meet you, too.”  
  
Reaching the final page of the fantasy storybook, Shawn closed it. “What kind of books do you like?”  
  
Samus breathed in deep, barely able to contain her excitement at the question. She showed him all her favorite books about birds, technology, and cats. In return, he showed her other fantasy books. They shared books like this for what seemed like hours, struggling to keep their laughter down.  
  
“I should be going home now,” Samus spoke up, looking outside and seeing the rain had stopped. She’d be away far too long. “Mom’s gonna be worried if I don’t go home soon.”  
  
“I understand...” Disappointed filled Shawn’s every word, but hope quickly overtook it. “You think you can meet me here again tomorrow?”  
Samus’ eyes lit up in excitement. “Yes I can!”  
  
She moved to make a dash towards the doors, but instead crashed into a woman carrying a stack of books. The woman stumbled into one of the bookshelves, ending up buried under the books that fell. Samus stood back up, ready to apologize, until she realized the woman was Bennett, at which point she ran.  
  
“Aran!” She heard Bennett yell as the door closed behind her, Shawn’s mother, June, having opened it for her.  
  


* * *

  
Virginia leaned against the side of the security building, rubbing her eyes and trying to will away the growing headache.  
“I didn't have a _single_ problem until your family moved here!” Bennett shrieked, attempting to reduce Virginia to cinders by simply glaring at her. "Samus is going to be the death of me!"  
  
“She’s not doing any of this on purpose,” Virginia sighed, deciding to look at her helmet instead of Bennett. She’d need to clean it later; her recent visit to the mines had covered it in dust. “And what happened at the library was an accident. She’s not targeting you, I promise.”  
Bennett’s eye twitched. “So you’re not going to do anything about her behavior?”  
  
“There’s nothing to do anything about,” Virginia replied. "I can talk to her about her homework and that's about the only thing I have any direct control over."  
  
Bennett wanted to protest, but the look on Virginia’s face told her everything she needed to know. She’d get no help from Virginia.  
  
“Oh, everything will be fine...” Bennett said quietly, like the calm before the storm. Her eyes met Virginia’s, alight with renewed fire while Virginia still gave her a gaze of complete indifference. “I’ll just go accept a job for transporting highly explosive materials through trade routes known for Space Pirate raids!”  
  
She wouldn’t actually do that and Virginia knew it. Virginia raised her eyebrow, reaching for an energy drink can she had set on the ground when Bennett had arrived. “Sounds dangerous. I wouldn’t recommend that.”  
  
“THIS IS WHAT YOUR DAUGHTER HAS DONE TO ME!” Bennett yelled in one last attempt to get a proper response from Virginia.  
  
Virginia popped the can's lid open and took a big gulp. “Sorry to hear that. Now, if you don’t mind, as the captain of security here, I’ve got a lot of pressing matters to deal with. I need to get back to work.”  
  
“Are you saying that my _suffering_ isn’t important?!” Bennett blocked Virginia from walking away. “Are you implying that I’m wasting your time?!”  
  
“Not what I said, Bennett,” Virginia walked past her anyway, tossing the now empty can into the trash can outside. She put her helmet back on. “I’ve heard what you have to say. Now please, let me do my job.”  
  
Bennett stood there, watching Virginia walk back into the building. She grumbled, storming off.  
  
“Okay everyone, you’ve probably heard by now that the Galactic Federation HQ is sending a transport ship with a military escort to pick up a shipment of Afloraltite tomorrow,” Virginia announced to the other guards inside. “You know the drill. Nobody goes in or out of the mines without my knowing, and no funny business. Clear?”  
  
“Clear!” they all shouted as one.  
  
“Good,” Virginia smiled at them underneath her helmet. “Now before they arrive, we still have a job to do. Keep the mines and town secure. Alert me to anything you find suspicious. Now go.”  
  
The guards saluted. “Right away, Captain!”  
  
Virginia watched them all disperse, her eyes drifting towards the purple and orange horizon, K-2L’s sun sinking behind the mountains. She felt a weight hang over her head, a feeling of impending doom. She had ordered these patrols the whole week, and each time her guards found no signs of sabotage or carelessness.  
  
Yet she felt her skin crawling. Saw flickers of fire when she closed her eyes. Smelled the coppery scent of blood where there was none. Felt the pain of flames eating away at her and the agony of flesh rending in her nightmares.  
  
“I should tell Rodney,” she mused, replacing the miniature power cells in her gun. “Maybe he can convince the Federation fleet to come here sooner... Before anything can happen.”  
  
She shook her head. Rodney wouldn’t believe her. What love had been between them had waned long ago, and with it, the trust they shared. He had been complaining about the extra security at the mines all week as it was.  
  
She’d have to trust that it would all be fine. She had complete faith in her guards’ abilities.  
  
_But will it be enough?_ The thought nagged at her.  
  
A stack of papers and her tablet awaited her on her desk. She sighed, until she saw the tablet screen blink red.  
  
“No, no, that can’t be right...” she gripped the tablet tightly, reading the message over and over again. The message remained the same. “They wouldn’t be that bold...”  
  
The report, more of a rumour than anything else, had begun circulating around nearby planets several hours ago. Claims of a Space Pirate vessel seen nearby, and speculation that its destination was K-2L itself. Yet the report lacked visual evidence of any kind, only claims from small spaceships who's crews could have seen anything in the dark of space.  
  
She couldn’t ignore this rumour, not when she had a planet to protect. But she wouldn’t be able to act on it without proof... and besides, surely the Federation fleet would have seen something by now? She had to hope.  
  
But there was one thing she could do...  
  
She swiped the message away, searching through her contact list and finding the lead engineer of the planetary defense project, Akemi Miyamoto. As her tablet flashed a ‘Please Wait’ message, she stared at the screen until Akemi’s face popped in.  
  
“Yes, Captain Aran?” Akemi said in a tired voice, barely able to keep her eyes open. She held a coffee mug in one hand, and Virginia could tell that it wasn’t her first one. “What can I do for you?”  
  
“I need to know your team’s progress on the defense satellites,” Virginia asked, mentally crossing her fingers. She hoped Akemi could tell her what she wanted to hear. “I know this sector of space is well-guarded, but this project should have been operational weeks ago.”  
  
Akemi looked even more tired than before. “We keep running into complications. The satellites’ construction was finally completed a few days ago, as I said in my last report... But we’ve been unable to get them operational. It’s all experimental tech that’s only been tested on three other planets.... We’re suspecting it’s atmospheric interference between the satellites and the-“  
  
“They need to be up and running by tomorrow,” Virginia said without thinking.  
  
Akemi didn’t need to see Virginia’s face to understand the worry in her voice. “Captain Aran, what is going on?”  
  
“I don’t know if you’ve looked at Federation media lately, but there’s a wealth of... concerning rumours,” Virginia admitted.  
  
The expression on Akemi’s face told Virginia that she had. “I... understand, Captain Aran. We will... we’ll do what we can.”  
  
“That’s all I ask,” Virginia said.  
  
They stared at each other in silence, before Akemi terminated the call, leaving Virginia to lean back and hope she did the right thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S COMING. IT'S BAD.


	3. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rodney is having a Day. Samus meets new people. Virginia has Concerns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't That chapter. Not yet. The Event We All Know Is Coming will be the next chapter.
> 
> The Nysians are a race I created and named through a friend's help. I'll give more of an explanation in the end note, but since they're elves I'll go ahead and say that I had ideas for an elf race that I didn't want to just... throw at the Elfin from the manga. But the Elfin do exist in Hatchlingverse.
> 
> This chapter contains Zoids product placement. I could have simply not bothered to name the toy depicted here and let people guess, but also I love Zoids and more people should know it exists. So there. Ha. Doing Hasbro's work for them.
> 
> Can't wait to look at this chapter later and realize I missed some typos.

Rodney had been rapidly developing a headache since he woke up, and the sight of the security force’s gray and yellow armour only served to strength it. _I talked to Virginia about this..._  
  
They had indeed talked about it. Virginia elected to ignore him.  
  
“I appreciate your concern...” Rodney lied, and he knew the guard, Chris, could tell. He took a single step, and Chris moved to follow. “But must you hover?”  
  
“Captain’s orders,” Chris replied, and Rodney just knew that a smirk was on the man’s face, underneath the blue-tinted visor of his helmet. To his credit, he did take one small step back. “She wants everyone accounted for and the mine protected.”  
  
Of course she did. Rodney rolled his eyes. “That’s nice, but I have a very delicate operation here.”  
  
The worst thing that ever happened at the mines tended to be equipment malfunctions or animals wandering in, with the occasional foolish teenager sneaking in at night. But ultimately, nothing to get so worked up over. And if Rodney could be honest with himself, he really hated having armed guards around the Afloraltite. One mistake and the crystals would ignite.  
  
Surely Virginia knew that.  
  
“We know, and that’s why we’re here,” Chris said, his gun held securely in his hands. Rodney saw that the power cells had been manually locked. It didn’t make him feel any better.  
  
There were other guards hovering around the entrances to the mines, and Rodney hadn’t been able to convince them to leave, either. Just what was Virginia even afraid of? She hadn’t told him a damn thing, just that the Federation fleet warranted extra security. Hardly. Virginia’s time as Captain of K-2L’s security force had dulled her senses.  
  
Or perhaps Samus held some of the blame. She was, after all, good at causing unnecessary stress and distraction.  
  
“Also, a small Nysian ship recently landed at the starport,” Chris, still following Rodney around like a loyal puppy, casually informed him. “And a Chozo vessel is requesting permission to land.”  
  
“What is this, Land on K-2L Day?!” Rodney grumbled, inspecting a cart of Afloraltite. “First the Federation military, now some Nysians and Chozo?”  
  
Chris shrugged. “A busy day, apparently.”  
  
“No kidding,” Rodney huffed, “they probably want the Afloraltite. Not that I’d let them have any of it. These mines belong to the Galactic Federation, and last I checked, the Nysians and Chozo aren’t Federation citizens.”  
  
The Nysians weren't much older that Humanity, but they had flown too close to the sun, losing their homeworld in the process. And yet they saw fit to refuse Federation assistance, many of them leaving for a journey of uncertainty into the vast ocean of space. Very few remained on Federation Core Worlds, and those on the Outer Rim were quickly disappearing.  
  
No doubt K-2L was just one of many stops to resupply before that Nysian ship continued their voyage.  
  
The Chozo had refused to join the Federation since its inception, remaining steadfast no matter the pressure. They had watched the Federation surround them and pick over their abandoned worlds like carrion despite their protests, and yet they did nothing. And now, all that remained of the Chozo were those from Zebes.  
  
Mighty empires that rose and fell, to be replaced by the next to wield and die by the sword.  
  
Rodney had dealt with the Chozo before. Enough that he knew the names of every last one of them that remained on Zebes. They always tried to bargain for some of the Afloraltite, and he rejected them every time.  
  
What a headache.  
  
“Could you please take another step back?” Rodney snapped at Chris, who had been standing so close he seemed to be looking over his shoulder.  
  
“Captain’s orders,” Chris repeated.  
  
Rodney kept himself from screaming, much to his credit.  
  


* * *

  
  
“Here you go, kid,” the shopkeeper said with a smile as he handed the box down to Samus. “Now, you ask an adult to help you put that together, alright? I’m not going to encourage a kid to use scissors unsupervised.”  
  
Samus nodded, only half-listening as the box commanded her attention. A Gun Sniper model kit. Her favorite Zoid. She’d been saving up for what felt like forever just to buy it. Being able to hold on to her small allowance and put it towards something like this felt like an accomplishment. If only her parents weren’t so busy, she’d ask one of them to help her put it together.  
  
Holding the box in her hands, she pondered where to go from there. She’d already visited the library and seen Shawn like she promised, and the sky promised rain as it had the day before. Nowhere to go but home, she supposed.  
  
Walking down the street to go home, Samus noticed a girl she hadn’t seen before on the other side of the road. She stopped walking, and so did the girl, both of them staring at each other. The girl’s pointed ears perked up.  
  
“Um...” Samus struggled to think of something to say, now that she had accidentally gotten the Elfin girl’s attention. “Hi? I’ve never seen you before.”  
  
“I’m... just passing through,” the girl said, her ruby red eyes darting around nervously, her ears pressed against the sides of her head like a frightened feline. “M-my mom and dad said I could look around while they took care of things.”  
  
“I’m Samus!” Samus wanted to really break the ice, and she figured them telling each other their names was a good start. “What’s your name?”  
  
The girl raised her head, her ears relaxing a little. “My name is... Athyna.”  
  
“That’s a nice name,” Samus smiled.  
  
Athyna smiled back, with a mouth full of sharp teeth. She still looked nervous, but before either could say anything else, a Nysian woman approached and took Athyna’s hand.  
  
“We got everything we needed, Athyna,” the woman said in a gentle tone, sighing as Athyna’s ears drooped again. “It’s time to go.”  
  
“But...” Athyna looked over at Samus.  
  
The woman shook her head. “I’m sorry, but we don’t have the time right now.”  
  
Samus waved goodbye as Athyna walked away with her mother. Athyna waved back, and then the two disappeared further into the town. Once they were gone, Samus felt lonely. Athyna must have felt the same.  
  
Samus remembered that Virginia had asked her not to linger at the library and above all else, to stay home or at least close to it. So she started walking that way again, a cool breeze blowing through and giving her a chill. She ran when she felt a single raindrop splash against her face, her hold on the box tight.  
  
Within a few minutes, she hopped up the front porch’s wooden stairs, right as the rain started. She sat down at the table outside for the time being, hearing the rain patter against the porch roof. Her eyes fell upon the box and she let out a disappointed sigh. She’d have to wait for Virginia or Rodney to get home. Preferably Virginia, who would actually take interest in it.  
  
Solomon had been asleep inside the house since Samus had left. He liked to sleep in the rain, so this was probably the highlight of his day. She still needed to check on him. She'd been gone awhile.  
  
She opened the front door.  
  


* * *

  
  
“You can keep asking all you want, but the answer is no,” Rodney glared at the Chozo, who easily towered over him. The other races of the galaxy could revere the Chozo as much as they liked, but he had a job to do and he wasn’t going to give a dying elder race special treatment.  
  
"This planet is quite rich in Afloraltite," the gray-feathered Chozo noted, looking down at Rodney in more ways besides literal. "Surely there is enough for you to spare a few crystals? We don't ask for much, but what we can give you would be triple its worth."  
  
Access to trade with the remaining Chozo would have been a dream for anyone not named Rodney Aran.  
  
"Every single crystal belongs to the Galactic Federation," Rodney focused his attention on the other side of the mine’s gate, hoping the Chozo would get the message and leave. He needed to get back in there and monitor everything, not waste time with an uninvited visitor. “We’re done here, and you’re leaving empty-handed.”  
  
“Very well, then,” the Chozo bowed, black robes swishing with the wind as he walked away, his deep blue eyes looking up at the sky, watching the droplets of rain fall. This was an exercise in futility, but at least I tried.  
  
“...Have you seriously been standing there the whole time?” Rodney almost shrieked when he turned around and saw Chris standing right behind him.  
  
Chris smiled. “Captain’s orders.”  
  


* * *

  
  
When Samus stepped back outside onto the porch, the first thing she saw was a giant bird with a humanoid body.  
  
“Hello there, little one,” he said, his green eyes filled with more kindness than she could remember seeing in anyone besides Virginia. Yet, a sadness seemed to lie within them. “What is your name?”  
  
“I’m...” Samus felt such awe at the sight of him and his golden feathers that she could barely speak. “I’m Samus.”  
  
He couldn’t smile like a Human could, but the emotion twinkled within his eyes. “What a powerful name that is. Where I’m from, a name speaks to your truest self.”  
  
“Really?” Samus blinked in curiosity. “What’s yours?”  
  
“My people call me Old Bird,” he answered simply.  
  
That was a pretty direct name. For a moment Samus wondered if Old Bird’s parents really had named him that or if it was just a nickname. Did all people where he came from have names like this?  
  
“Are you waiting for your parents?” Old Bird asked, his voice so warm and kind that he must have been made of warmth and kindness. He noticed the box on the table where Samus sat. A remnant of ancient Earth culture, he realized. If only he had the time to learn more about it.  
  
“Mom and Dad are really busy today,” Samus’ gaze fell to the floor. “Mom seemed really upset about something, and Dad’s... I don’t know if I wanna talk about it.”  
  
“Is there something wrong with your father?” Old Bird lowered himself so that he and Samus could be at eye level. “Perhaps I could help?”  
  
“I don’t know what you can do...” Samus admitted. She shuffled her feet. “I don’t think he likes me.”  
  
“And why wouldn’t he like you?” Old Bird’s heart ached. “You have such a good spirit, and we have only known each other for a few minutes.”  
  
“He thinks that all I do is cause trouble,” Samus explained. “I don’t mean to, but...”  
  
She stopped talking when Old Bird reached a hand out towards her, a single talon gently resting on her shoulder. She stared into his eyes, taking in deep, calming breaths.  
  
“Then that is his loss, I’m afraid,” Old Bird’s voice now held a tinge of that sadness he felt. “But yours is the spirit destined for great things, I know this. And so I must ask that you continue to be... You. Do not let others dictate to you how you should be or what you should become... That responsibility falls upon you and you alone.”  
  
Samus slowly nodded. “Thanks...”  
  
Old Bird opened his orange beak to say more, but stopped when he felt a presence behind him. The gray Chozo gave Samus a look that she couldn’t read, but she found him less pleasant than Old Bird almost immediately. He carried with him a weight that reminded her somewhat of Virginia, yet he seemed more guarded.  
  
“It is time to leave, Old Bird,” the gray Chozo said. “Aran refused to grant my request, so we must look for Afloraltite elsewhere.”  
  
“I suppose it cannot be helped," Old Bird sighed, as Gray Voice nudged him away. "Farewell."  
  
Samus watched the two vanish into the crowd outside, feeling alone all over again.  
  


* * *

  
  
“I’m sorry, Captain Aran, but this is where we’re at right now,” Akemi wiped her glasses with a cloth. “We’ve done everything we can, but I don’t know if the defense satellites will be able to fire. It’s unsafe.”  
  
“I appreciate the hard work you and your crew have put into this project,” Virginia struggled to keep the anxiety beneath the surface in check. It would eat her alive. “But I... this needs to be done.”  
  
Silence fell over the two women. Every time Virginia closed her eyes, she saw flashes of fire, blood, and inhuman teeth.  
  
“...I make no promises, but we will continue working on it,” Akemi’s hands fell to her sides. “But I need to be alone with my thoughts.”  
  
“I understand,” Virginia nodded. “I’ll leave you to your work.”  
  
“Thank you,” Akemi said, motioning for Virginia to exit the lab.  
  
Virginia's armour protected her from the heavy downpour and the mud that splashed with every step she took. Her mind replayed the same worries and images, over and over as she walked.  
  
Thoughts of Samus and Solomon crossed her mind. She wanted to go check on them, she hadn't seen them all day, but knew she couldn't spare the time. But she did know one of the Troopers that would arrive in a smaller craft from the combat escort. A childhood friend.  
  
He'd check on them for her. She need only ask.  
  
The images flashed when she closed her eyes still. Virginia felt her insides twist into a knot. She knew the Federation ships would arrive any second, and she had to be there when the transport ship landed.  
  
“I've done everything I can,” she tried to assure herself. _Have I? Have I really?_  
  
She needed to believe it would all be fine.  
  


* * *

  
  
Samus sank into the chair at the sight of the Federation Troopers that began patrolling the streets. They looked a thousand times more frightening than her mother’s security force, with gray and blue armour instead of the gray and yellow. Their faces were hidden underneath their visors, but the air around them seemed heavier and they carried themselves like they were walking in a warzone instead of a small, developing town.  
  
She felt her heart a skip when she saw one of them walk slowly down the sidewalk, giving each house a look Samus could only wonder about. When the Trooper turned their head towards her house, she gasped and hid behind the chair.  
  
“Hello?” The Trooper called out, sounding much nicer than his armour implied. “Is this the Aran residence?”  
  
Samus held perfectly still as he climbed up the stairs and lifting up his visor to reveal a white man’s face. He looked around Virginia’s age, with blue eyes that didn’t really look like a soldier’s. Seeing her, he gave her the most reassuring smile he could.  
  
“W-what do you want?” She shivered, her own blue eyes wide with terror. She’d rather talk to the Nysian girl or the Chozo, not this scary man. “Nobody’s home!”  
  
“Easy, easy,” the Trooper sat down on the floor, trying to appear nonthreatening in spite of his armour. “I’m not here to hurt you. Your mom sent me here to check on you and your brother.”  
  
She sniffled from the cold. “R-Really?”  
  
“Yes, really,” the Trooper nodded. “You’re Samus, right?”  
  
“Yes...” she answered, staring up at him and slowly beginning to feel a little less scared.  
  
The Trooper reached up for his helmet, disconnecting it from his armour with a click and a hiss. He set it down on his lap, running a hand through his black hair. “Can you tell me where your brother is?”  
  
“He’s inside...” Solomon was still asleep, last she checked. “He’s been sleeping all day.”  
  
Which didn’t seem like him, but she hadn’t wanted to disturb him.  
  
The Trooper nodded again. He didn’t expect to be let into the house, and he couldn’t blame Samus anyway. She clearly didn’t recognize him... had Virginia ever shown her any photos? _Apparently not._  
  
Rodney was the cause, more than likely.  
  
“What’s your name?” Samus stood up from behind the chair, feeling much braver.  
  
“Adam,” he answered, sounding relieved. He was getting somewhere. “Adam Malkovich.”  
  
The name sounded familiar to Samus, but she couldn’t place why. “You know my mom?”  
  
“An old friend,” Adam replied, a look of sadness on his face for a moment. “How old are you?”  
  
Virginia had confided in him that her relationship with Rodney was degrading to the point that those around them wondered what they’d ever seen in each other at all. He felt responsible for it, even though he’d done nothing except what he’d always done; been Virginia’s friend.  
  
But Rodney misunderstood. He always misunderstood. Never admitted when he was wrong about something.  
  
“I’m six!” Samus’ voice brought Adam back to the present. She held up her hands, proudly showing off her age with her fingers.  
  
He smiled. “Really? You act so grown up, I thought you were older!”  
  
“How old are you?” she asked, sitting down on the chair and now looking down at him.  
  
“Twenty-six,” Adam replied. Virginia was only a year older than him.  
  
Samus’ voice turned as blunt as a child’s could. “You’re old.”  
  
Adam had to resist the powerful urge to laugh. “I guess I am... But just you wait, you’ll be my age one day! And then we’ll see who’s laughing then!”  
  
“You’ll be ancient then,” Samus helpfully informed him, the seriousness on her face making the urge to laugh even stronger for Adam.  
  
Rodney should at least rent a sense of humour, if only for his daughter’s sake.  
  
“Like Zoids, do you?” Adam finally noticed the box on the table. “My little brother loves them. He’s about your age, come to think of it... I’m sure he’d love to meet you.”  
  
The thought excited Samus. “Yes! I'd love to meet him too!"  
  
Eyes on the box again, she sighed. "I can't build these by myself..."  
  
“Your parents won’t be home for awhile?” Adam asked.  
  
“Yeah...” Samus said, disappointed.  
  
“Well then, you’re in luck!” Adam grinned. “I’m old, so I’m pretty sure that makes me an adult!”  
  
Samus stared at him like he had just uttered some piece of profound wisdom.  
  
“If you’ve got a pair of scissors, I’ll be the one to use them,” Adam continued, actually feeling giddy about the thought of putting the kit together with her.  
  
“Right here!” Samus picked them up from off the table.  
  
“I hope you didn’t run with those...” Adam said quietly. With a shrug, he got up and sat at the chair across from Samus. He carefully opened the box, setting its contents out across the table and opening the manual. “First, let’s see what we’ve got...”  
  
Picking up the scissors, Adam cut each piece from the frames with expert precision as Samus watched in awe. He put the empty frames back into the box, sorting the now separate pieces into something manageable. He opened the manual again, before handing it to Samus, who had been holding the pilot figure.  
  
Samus gingerly put the power unit and the pieces of the body in place, and Adam snapped them all together. Samus grabbed a few more pieces and placed them on the Gun Sniper, and Adam also pushed them together with another satisfying snap. Soon enough, the newly built Gun Sniper stood proud atop the table.  
  
All the stickers had been applied, all excess plastic had been shaved off, and Samus gently placed the pilot inside the canopy. Adam picked it up and took the windup key from its back, winding up the toy and setting it down to walk with barely a sense of grace.  
  
While Samus watched the Gun Sniper make its glorious march across the table, a voice crackled from Adam’s helmet, still lying on the porch. Adam cursed inwardly, quickly retrieving it and putting it back on. Instantly his body tensed, taking in every word from his commander.  
  
“I’m sorry, Samus, but I need to go,” Adam tried to keep his voice calm. He didn’t want to frighten her... but she should be just as scared. “I enjoyed our time together. I’ll let your mother know you and your brother are okay, and you have to promise me you won’t leave your house, got it? Promise me.”  
  
“I promise...?” Samus saw and heard the tension and the fear. She watched Adam rush down the stairs and into the street. She frowned, as the Gun Sniper ran out of momentum and ceased movement. It seemed everyone she had met that day couldn’t stay long. How frustrating.  
  
But the terror Adam tried to hide... What was happening?  
  
Solomon crossed her mind, and she rushed inside. “Solomon, are you still asleep?”  
  
She didn’t get an answer, as had been the day’s norm. But finally, worry actually set in. She pushed the door to Solomon’s room open, and felt her heart drop.  
  
Solomon was gone. How long had he been gone?  
  
“Solomon...?” the silence consumed her, and her mind became a whirlwind as she frantically searched the house, hoping to find him even she knew he wasn’t in the house.  
  
Adam told her to stay inside. But she had to break that promise. She needed to find Solomon, wherever he was, no matter what Adam was so afraid of.  
  
Their secret place, just outside the town and into the mountains. The place that both Virginia and Rodney banned them from. She couldn’t think of anywhere else; only she and Solomon knew the way past Virginia’s guards and through the gates.  
  
Solomon had never gone there by himself, but he always wanted to go whenever Virginia and Rodney fought. It was a way for those problems to disappear. A means for him to try to process it all.  
  
Samus went out the back door. She’d find him.  
  
She had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't kidding when I said there was no three act structure, just Vibes. This fic is basically just a bunch of random stitched scenes together into something resembling a plot.
> 
> Anyway.
> 
> Athyna was Sylux in my original 2015 draft but then I grew terrified that Metroid Prime 4 was going to sink my ship so I just leapt off it and lit it on fire like Sea Hawk before the game gets the chance to.
> 
> I am very well-adjusted.
> 
> The Nysians also used to be named Cylons as a reference to Cylosis and also Battlestar Galactica. 2015 me thought she was so clever.
> 
> So basically Athyna gets all the Sylux headcanons I had. More or less. She will also appear in future fics.
> 
> I made a Spotify playlist for the Hatchlingverse that I've been listening to as I rewrite this fic and you all can listen it to probably if the link works IDK: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7ncTykukcic47woi27wIQw?si=52993f06a9204d2d
> 
> Next chapter: Pain.

**Author's Note:**

> As with my Spyro and Star Wars fics, I plan to update this soon but I run on Valve Time.
> 
> I almost cut the dream scene from the first chapter but you know what I stand by it.


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